Assault on high school student lands SC deputy in jail and costs him job, cops say

A sheriff’s deputy, working as a school resource officer was charged with multiple crimes after an incident with a high school student, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Tuesday.

William Kenneth Sumner, 57, was arrested and fired after he grabbed an underage Lamar High School student following an argument on April 16, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said in a news release.

The former Darlington County sheriff’s deputy grabbed the student by his clothes and yanked him out of a chair in an office at the school, arrest warrants show. The 6-foot-8, 370-pound Sumner then shoved the minor against a wall while still gripping the student by his clothes, the arrest warrant said.

Surveillance cameras at the school captured the incident, according to the arrest warrant.

Information on what Sumner and the student argued about was not made available by SLED.

After he was taken into custody Tuesday, Sumner was charged with third-degree assault and battery, along with misconduct in office, jail records show.

He was released from the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center after his bond was set at a combined $5,000 for both charges.

Sumner, a Florence resident, is scheduled to appear before a judge on the assault and battery charge on May 13, and then return on June 2 for the misconduct in office charge, Darlington County court records show.

The sheriff’s office requested SLED lead the investigation.

If convicted on the misdemeanor assault charge, the maximum punishment Sumner would face is 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, according to South Carolina law.

The maximum punishment for a misconduct in office conviction is 1 year behind bars and a $1,000 fine, according to South Carolina law.